Midlife Women

The acclaimed author explores the hidden crises of Gen X women in this “engaging hybrid of first-person confession, reportage [and] pop culture analysis” (The New Republic). Ada Calhoun was married with children and a good career—and yet she was miserable. She thought she had no right to complain until she realized how many other Generation X women felt the same way. What could be behind this troubling trend? To find out, Calhoun delved into housing costs, HR trends, credit card debt averages, and divorce data. At every turn, she saw that Gen X women were facing new problems as they entered middle age—problems that were being largely overlooked. Calhoun spoke with women across America who were part of the generation raised to “have it all.” She found that most were exhausted, terrified about money, under-employed, and overwhelmed. And instead of being heard, they were being told to lean in, take “me-time,” or make a chore chart to get their lives and homes in order. In Why We Can’t Sleep, Calhoun opens up the cultural and political contexts of Gen X’s predicament. She offers practical advice on how to ourselves out of the abyss—and keep the next generation of women from falling in. The result is reassuring, empowering, and essential reading for all middle-aged women, and anyone who hopes to understand them.

The Study of Women In Midlife GRACE K. BARUCH AND JEANNE BROOKS-GUNN To describe the middle years-that relatively long span when one is neither young nor old-as a neglected period may no longer be accurate, given current scientific and popular interest in adult development and aging. But midlife is still too often seen merely as a kind of staging area on the way to old age, when one gathers one's forces and tries to stock up on assets-health, money, relationships-that will be needed for the rigors of the last phase of life. The middle years have been characterized more as a transition period than as a time of growth, satisfaction, and creativity. As this volume will show, although midlife is not without its difficulties, it is, for many women, a time of unexpected pleasure, even power. MAJOR THEMES A central theme of this volume is the impact of social change. The influence of economic conditions, of ideology, of the normative timing of such life events as age of marriage and childbearing, are addressed in many chapters from hlany different perspectives. Social changes are shown to have both negative and positive consequences. On the nega tive side, for example, the sex differential in life expectancy is a biosocial phenomenon that greatly restricts the availability of sexual partners-or, more precisely, heterosexual partners-for older women.

Stories of "unmarried American and Canadian women building better lives for themselves in Mexico's beautiful colonial villages."--Cover

Smart women understand that taking care of their health is essential to maintaining an active lifestyle. This comprehensive guide shows you how to work with your body instead of against it to stay healthy and happy through menopause and beyond. Written by two practicing doctors who have been close girlfriends since they met during medical training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital,The Smart Woman's Guide to Midlife and Beyond includes the doctors' own personal experiences, patient stories from their medical practices, and all the information you need to age with good health, grace, and humor. Includes the information you need to: Care for your whole body to prevent common diseases Learn which health issues are normal, which are serious, and what to do about them Overcome memory loss, depression, and anxiety Understand menopause and hormone replacement therapy Nourish and protect your skin and hair Choose the right vitamin supplements for you Find out whether or not treatments like massage and acupuncture will work for you Know when to share your concerns with your doctor or healthcare practitioner Create a personal Health Maintenance Schedule to keep your health on track The Smart Woman's Guide to Midlife and Beyond is a complete, holistic, and state-of-the-art road map for any woman who is motivated to become a more effective steward of her health. The authors' relaxed, personal, and insightful style makes critical health information accessible. This book is a must-have for any woman inspired to improve her health trajectory. -Mark C. Pettus MD, FACP, medical director of the Kripalu Institute for Integrated Healing and author ofIt's All in Your Head There is no doubt that women past the age of fifty have different health issues than younger women-a fact often overlooked by many physicians. These women need to know how to care for their maturing bodies. Drs. Horn and Miller explore the full spectrum of mature women's health issues in a candid, conversational manner that integrates the body, mind, and spirit. A much-needed book. -Kevin Soden, MD, host ofHealthline on Retirement Living Television I have often wished that there were a doctor in my family I could ask for health advice. If you have shared this desire, you'll love this book. It's a practical insider's guide to what maturing women need to be thinking about, and it's written as though the authors were concerned friends talking with you. Drs. Horn and Miller have superb training and years of practical experience caring for women patients. It shows on every page of this excellent book. -Judge Glenda Hatchett, star of the nationally syndicated television program Judge Hatchett The authors' approach is accessible and entertaining. These are the doctor girlfriends you want to call because they know everything about the area of your concern-not only from their medical practices, but also from their own personal experiences. -Robin Wolaner, founder of Parenting magazine and founder and CEO of TeeBeeDee (tbd.com), an online network for people over forty This is the girlfriends' guide to taking charge of your health. And these girlfriends are doctors. A winning combination! -Ari Brown, MD, pediatrician and author ofBaby 411

A carefully researched, compassionate volume of encouragement and direction for women coping with midlife. This book is equally helpful for counselors and families.

The phrase “midlife crisis” today conjures up images of male indulgence and irresponsibility—an affluent, middle-aged man speeding off in a red sports car with a woman half his age—but before it become a gendered cliché, it gained traction as a feminist concept. Journalist Gail Sheehy used the term to describe a midlife period when both men and women might reassess their choices and seek a change in life. Sheehy’s definition challenged the double standard of middle age—where aging is advantageous to men and detrimental to women—by viewing midlife as an opportunity rather than a crisis. Widely popular in the United States and internationally, the term was quickly appropriated by psychological and psychiatric experts and redefined as a male-centered, masculinist concept. The first book-length history of this controversial concept, Susanne Schmidt’s Midlife Crisis recounts the surprising origin story of the midlife debate and traces its movement from popular culture into academia. Schmidt’s engaging narrative telling of the feminist construction—and ensuing antifeminist backlash—of the midlife crisis illuminates a lost legacy of feminist thought, shedding important new light on the history of gender and American social science in the 1970s and beyond.

This guidebook includes ten yoga practices with clear illustrations that women over 50 can follow on their own, such as a practice for energizing, one for relaxation and another for insomnia.

"[Fit at Mid-Life] reinforces the message that fitness can and should be for everyone, no matter their age, size, gender, or ability." ––SELF What if you could be fitter now than you were in your twenties? And what if you could achieve it while feeling more comfortable and confident in your body? In Fit at Mid-Life, bloggers and philosophy professors Samantha Brennan and Tracy Isaacs share the story of how they got the fittest they'd ever been by age 50––and how you can, too. Their approach to fitness is new and different—it champions strength, health, and personal accomplishment over weight loss and aesthetics––and explores the many challenges, questions, and issues women face when seeking fitness in their forties, fifties, and beyond. Drawing from the latest research, Brennan and Isaac deliver a wealth of concrete advice on everything from how to keep bones strong to what types of fitness activities give the biggest returns. Taking a feminist perspective, they also challenge society’s default whats, whys, and hows of every aspect of getting fit to show how women can best take charge of their health—no matter what their shape, size, age, or ability. "Fit at Mid-Life combines personal stories with scientific evidence, feminist reflections and how-to advice for both women and men who don’t want fitness to fade away in their middle years."––The Toronto Star